Getting here is half the fun! Snowed Inn is located halfway up a ski run on Park City Mountain, and the only way up is via horse-drawn sleighs.

Reservations are accepted three times nightly for a limited amount of guests to come on up for dinner. The cost for dinner with your round-trip sleigh ride is $59 for adults and $34 for children.

We were told to dress warm and stand at the bottom of Pay Day Lift. We waited with anticipation, and shortly there it was... a horse-drawn sleigh coming down the ski slope. It stopped at the lift and the cowboy driving it had our names on his list. We climbed in and covered ourselves with the warm blankets provided. We had long johns, sweaters, ski jackets, hats, and gloves and were still freezing. I felt sorry for the couple from Phoenix who had cotton coats, no hats, and no gloves on. My advice is to DRESS WARMLY. Soon our 20-minute ride ended, when the sleigh turned the corner and a delightful mid-mountain, snow-covered chalet glowed in front of us.

We were invited in by the waiting cowboys. The place glowed with warmth with blazing fires. There was a cowboy on stage playing his guitar and signing. Our hosts invited us to step up and warm ourselves with hot apple cider. We found our table and sat down to savor or cider and listen to the singer. You can also order beer or wine for an extra charge.

Soon it was time for dinner. We could have chicken, prime rib, or local Utah trout. The meal started out with a choice of spicy chili or hot chicken noodle soup. I had the chili and it was spicy! Maybe too spicy for a Midwestern Swede like myself, but perfect for a Texan! I had the trout served with mashed potatoes. It was fresh and just lightly breaded. The kids had prime rib, which was thick and juicy. We ended our meal with homemade apple cobbler. The meal warmed and soothed and was true comfort food.

After dinner some folks got up and danced. However, one of the cowboys summoned the kids out back, where he gave them each a fresh tin plate and challenged them to ride it down the slippery and steep hill. The kids did and they flew down the hill on those tin plates. I can't describe the laughs and screams that came off that hill. They had a ball! We laughed; most of these kids got expensive video games for Christmas, yet a simple tin plate was the most fun they could have. If you ask our kids about their favorite memory of this trip, it would be the flying down the ski hill on top of a tin plate!

All too soon it was time to climb back into our sleighs and head down the mountain. It was a night that I will fondly remember.